Pokémon Go Is Just “the Tip of the Iceberg”; The Best Is yet to Come

Even if Pokémon Go has achieved incredible milestones in a fairly short time, the current version of the game is just “the tip of the iceberg”.

CEO of Niantic Labs John Hanke stated so while speaking at the most recent TechCrunch Disrupt industry event. While he has previously hinted at multiple occasions that Pokémon Go holds something greater for the studio, the latest statement puts those ideas into concrete words.

Hanke referred to the current version of Pokémon Go as simply a minimum viable product. That’s humbling as well as laughable. Let’s not forget that Pokémon Go counts as the most successful and profitable item released in its category so far. Since its launch in July, the game has managed to garner crazed followers in the millions as well as generate revenue numbers in millions as well. Furthermore, despite the fact that it has already lost close to 80 percent of its paying players, Pokémon Go remains as the top performing mobile game in the charts of both iOS and Android.

Nonetheless, Niantic Labs has a greater vision for Pokémon Go which it intends to pursue. While Hanke didn’t go into specifics, he did hint that the original vision of Pokémon Go was to feature a massive-multiplayer that players get to experience in the real world. This includes limited-time events, social functions and interactions, exploration and discovery, and raids.

The current version of the game only caters to a minor part of that vision. He further teased that there is a long list of content and features that has yet to be released. Some are already in the works while others have yet to get off the drawing board.

In other news, the latest update for the game has introduced the Buddy feature as well as a new security ploy that blocks all rooted devices. The decision is yet another step in the developer’s stance against third-party apps that allow players to use short-cuts in the game.

If your device is rooted, you’ll not be able to access Pokémon Go. Unless you fool it into believing so. Here’s a fancy guide to help you in that regard.